


The Space Between

by ziusura



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tal-Vashoth Iron Bull, discussions on tal-vashoth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 17:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4970071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ziusura/pseuds/ziusura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edric finds Bull in the Chantry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Space Between

**Author's Note:**

> I noticed how few m!cadash/bull fics there were on ao3 (7????), so I've added this one too.

Edric hadn’t planned to go looking for Bull—he had shit up the ass to do like signing papers for some nobleman or whatever for Josephine or pretending he wasn’t avoiding signing papers for some nobleman by going off into Thedas to solve the littlest, most obscure thing, and Bull had his team to run. Despite what the rumors said, he wasn’t off canoodling with “that savage Qunari” at all hours of the day and night, and especially not just to keep from having to do some hoody-hoo off in Turdland-Orlais’s request—though sometimes he was tempted to. He was only a dwarf after all. 

But he did go after Bull, or more specifically, went to the little Chantry Skyhold boasted in one of the cleared rooms next to the garden. It took one overheard comment from a visitor about “a strange Qunari studying Andraste like she burned _his_   _knickers”_ for Edric to guess that something was up. 

Edric was honestly a little surprised to see Bull in there, sitting in the last pew and so slumped down his knees were basically hanging over the pew in front of him. Something had Bull distracted if he didn't greet Edric on his way in, but hell, Bull was in Skyhold's Chantry so that was answer enough—Edric’s pretty sure he himself had only been in there the once. 

"Are you becoming a convert?" Edric asked with a grin as loud as he dared because even if Bull had scared everyone else out of there just by virtue of being Qunari, there was some part of him that felt wrong shouting in a Chantry, and came up behind Bull. He was taller like this; Edric didn't think he'd ever see the top of Bull's head any time he wasn't between Edric's thighs. 

Bull didn't jump or give any sign of being startled by Edric's presence, but the stillness gave Bull away. Lately he’d been joking with Bull about him never being able to sneak up on a Ben-Hassrath, even if Edric used his stealth, but Edric couldn’t say that finally achieving that felt good. 

Edric put his hands on Bull's shoulders and squeezed once to say, 'hey, It's okay. I'm here.' Bull lifted his hand away from his mouth and tugged on one of Edric’s fingers once or twice before settling it in his lap. 

"Nah, I'm just thinking," Bull said, just as nonchalant as he ever was, but Edric's hands were on him; he could feel the tension coiled under Bull's skin. "The humans can believe whatever the hell they want—Andraste, that Vint dragon shit, Avvar sky mother crap—doesn't make them less human." 

Bull was acting blasé faire, like he was commenting on the color of the stone Andraste was made of and not human religion (well, human religion was about as interesting to Edric as the stone Andraste was made of), but Edric was young, not stupid. He could tell Bull had been worrying this for a while. 

Edric pressed further forward, pushing his chest against Bull's back in a way he hoped conveyed comfort because Edric was so bad at this, at being a rock in the way Bull so often was for him, and slid his hands down Bull's chest. He tapped out a nervous beat against his pecs, and immediately wanted to slam his forehead against something because _who did that,_  who comforted someone by drumming on them? 

Bull audibly drew in a deep breath, and Edric pressed a soft kiss to the back of his head. 

“You’re like me,” Edric said softly, not sure where he was going but knew he needed to say _something_. Bull sat still, listening, and Edric pulled himself closer to Bull by the hands on his chest. “Dwarves have all that ancestor and stone stuff but hell, I’d die underground. Got stone sense for shit and the only time I’ve ever heard lyrium was that time we were in Therinfall Redoubt and the whole place was stuffed so full of red lyrium it nearly turned into one of those behemoth things. I’m a dwarf, but shit, I feel like a short human sometimes.”   


Edric sucked in his bottom lip, feeling like he’d just vomited all over Bull. He and Sera already started a party called “our people don’t like us so we’ll stick them with an arrow-slash-dagger,” but hell, he really didn’t know what Bull was going through. 

Bull tilted his head to the side, like he wanted to turn and look at Edric but knew he’d slam his horns into Edric’s face if he tried. “That make me a horned human, or your noble steed?” he asked, but the humor in his voice sounded forced even to Edric. 

“I don’t think bulls are steeds for anyone but dirty farmers,” Edric said, because fuck. He wasn’t equipped to deal with feelings any other way than an explosion, and Edric could deflect talks with humor like the best of them, like Bull.   


“Heh,” Bull said, a single, forced huff of laughter, and then he sighed, resigned. “It’s not the same—you being a dwarf. You weren’t born in Orzammar. You didn’t turn your back on your people and everything you know to come to the surface. You aren’t a  _disappointment.”_  


Edric froze, then swallowed deeply. Everything he experienced from his sister, his parents bubbled up at that word, _disappointment_ , and he wanted to shout and hit until his body didn’t feel so tense and raw, but no, this wasn’t about him. He bit down the comments about Orzammar, about how shit they were to the casteless until they came up and were forced to join the Carta because there was nothing else, no support for dwarves and even the surface dwarves from a good caste in Orzammar didn’t give two shits about them; swallowed down the ones about his family, how good they and the Carta were; and let every feeling he had about being disappointment, a screw-up sit in his stomach and digest. 

“Yeah, but you knew,” Edric said, voice barely a whisper. “You were Tal-Vashoth in all but name only before you joined the inquisition, nearly were before that when you turned yourself in for reeducation. You’re Tal-Vashoth, Bull, and there’s no sense in dwelling in what someone or something else thinks you should be.”

Bull was quiet, and for a moment Edric wished he believed in all that Andraste shit because he needed her to fall over and drill a hole into the ground with her statue tits so Edric could fall into it. At least he’d be less likely to fuck up Bull down there. 

“I don’t know anything about Tal-vashoth except for what you’ve told me, and you’re you, Bull,” Edric said. “Not those kid murdering shitheads, or whatever…”   


Fuck. Bull was still quiet, still tense under Edric’s hands. Edric’s forehead fell softly against the back of Bull’s head. 

“A-and if you’re scared you’ll turn into that, you’ve got me, got Krem, got your chargers, hell you’ve practically got any of my soldiers that frequent the tavern. We won’t let you be like them—Krem would sooner kill you first.”   


Bull’s chest rose and swelled underneath Edric’s hands, and Edric closed his eyes. 

“And maybe there’s surface Qunari, y’know. Like me. Maybe we could go find some of them.”   


Bull reached up and squeezed both of Edric’s hand with one of his, and Edric let out a breath he’d felt like he’d been holding since he started talking. 

“Vashoth,” Bull said, and Edric’s eyes snapped open.    


“Huh?”   


“’Surface Qunari.’ Those born outside the Qun. Vashoth.”   


Edric made a noise of agreement, not entirely sure what to say, and pressed another kiss to the back of Bull’s head. The Chantry was still empty, still silent (and silently judging, on Andraste’s part), and only the sounds of Skyhold outside and their own breathing seemed to permeate the bubble they formed.

He stood there in that position for what felt like forever, just as still and quiet as Bull sat in front of him, before Bull took a deep breath and said, “Kadan…” He trailed off then, took another breath, and Edric felt like he’d vibrate right out of his skin if Bull wasn’t still holding onto his hands. “I love you,” he breathed, and Edric knew it was mostly for his benefit. 

Bull wasn’t happy with this, wasn’t unhappy that the Chargers had been saved instead, but he was dealing with it. Edric would do his best not to fuck up. 

“You know…the Chantry’s empty right now. We can’t fuck the Qun or the  ancestors and rock shit, but we could fuck the Chantry. Fuck in the chantry. Right in front of Andraste “flaming knickers” herself.”   


Bull threw his head back, laughed like he meant it, and rubbed his thumb against Edric’s wrist. Edric couldn’t help the answering grin on his face. 

“Could you imagine their little human faces? Cassandra would throw a fit.”   


Edric was smiling so hard his teeth pressed into Bull’s neck. It was mostly relief, but damn it felt good. 

They’d be okay. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to ask/prompt me on [tumblr.](http://stoneanddragons.tumblr.com) There'll generally be more content for my OCs and their pairings there too.


End file.
